A Review Paper on Properties and Applications of Nanofluids

A nanofluid is a liquid that contains nanometer-sized particles. Nanofluids are obtained by dispersing nanometer-sized particles in conventional base fluids such as water, oil, ethylene glycol, etc. Nanoparticles of materials such as metallic oxides (Al2O3, CuO), nitride ceramics (AlN, SiN), carbide ceramics (SiC, TiC), metals (Cu, Ag, Au), semiconductors (TiO2, SiC), single, double or multi-walled carbon nanotubes, alloyed nanoparticles (Al70, Cu30), etc., were used to prepare the nanofluids. This paper presents a procedure for preparing Nanofluids, the properties of Nanofluids, and their applications in various fields, including energy, mechanics, and biomedicine. Then it defines the parameter that challenges the use of Nanofluids in different applications and finally suggests directions for future research on Nanofluids. The thermal conductivity of the Nanofluids is improved at a very low (< 0.1%) percentage of suspended particles. Nowadays, Nanofluids are used efficiently in non-traditional energy resources in absorbing solar energy to increase the temperature.